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Friday, February 3, 2012

I think I have made you wait long enough. My apologies, I have been waiting right along with you. You know, sometimes projects take longer than expected. Things don't always go right. Life gets busy. Fabric comes in the mail and looks ridiculous so you have to try again. You know how it goes.

First, let's just see how far we have come shall we? It started out with a plan:

First, my apologies for the photos. I am a bit picky when it comes to doing my best to get the brightest, happiest photos and this room is a dungeon. Zero natural light filtering in from anywhere. So I am struggling a bit with that... not just in photography but in general. Sigh...

This whole project was a giant two month splurge and save deal. We decided to bight the bullet on some pieces and then do our best to get creative and use what we have and purchase less expensive IKEA items to save in other areas. The point is to keep this piece forever, whether for my current blog/etsy biz or just to use as a craft/office space 20 years from now.

All sorts of things are going on in this giant project, as you had seen so far, I lined the drawers, added new hardware and added some decorative stripes to the magazine files.

I sat down and analyzed my storage needs. This was easy for me since I was really lacking and living without for a few months now, and living with piles of insanity. I knew exactly what I wanted to keep the area useful for me:

Containers to keep my laminating and label sheets easy to access and protected

Containers to better manage my mailing system; a place for "to do" and "to mail"

File storage

Media storage

A receipt system

Small desk accessory storage

A clutter free desktop

A calendar

Lots of labels

Task Lighting

I started by swapping out the temporary paper for some pretty, bold patterned fabric. I went with the Waverly Cross Section Charcoal, and just ironed under the edges so it sits nice and pretty on the desktop.

I really love that it's subtle with color, but still bold enough to add some playfulness and texture to the space.

Because the fabric is covered with floating plexi-glass {which I had cut to size at my local Ace Hardware store}, I can tuck all sorts of items under the plexi to keep them protected. Like this monthly calendar I will be referencing frequently:

Super slick!

By splurging on all of the cabinets and drawers, I was able to conceal some of the less sightly items. But you can take a peek just so you can see how I organized it:

I actually still have not installed the drawers or cabinets permanently. I wanted to try living with a couple arrangements first. I thought I would want the drawers higher initially, but later decided that putting them lower was the way to go {they can't go right next to the chair since we have holes drilled in the sides of the cabinet for cords to our scanner}.

The top cabinet has a fabric bin for me to toss my receipts in throughout the course of the week. Then, they get scanned in and filed, so everything is all corralled together.

The drawers were lined with wrapping paper. I just stuck it down with a couple of small pieces of double sided tape. Then, popped in some acrylic drawer organizers I already had from our last desk space, and things were working fab!

And the other side:

These cabinets hold my every day items. Notebooks, planner, address book, etc... The soft sided green bin is where I keep my camera when not in use and the blue boxes are for my "to do" and "to mail" items.

The bottom drawer holds all of my punches:

The floating shelf is a great way to store books I like to reference, my craft markers in a white vase and some added drawers for my laminating sheets and printing labels.

Speaking of labels, I made sure everything was all labeled and ready to go!

I have a tendency to get some pretty yucky back pain, especially when sitting for longer periods of time {which I definitely do when I write up a blog post or personalize a slew of Etsy orders}. I hit up my local habitat restore which intentions of recovering something and taking drab to fab, but I knew that nothing I would find there would offer me the daily support that I need to work. So I went with a simple gray nail head chair that I found on clearance about a month ago at HomeDecorators.com. Part of the reason I went with something more neutral is because I wanted something that would be versatile enough to also work in my bedroom, guest room, living room or family room, if I ever decide to switch things up {which seems to happen sometimes!}.

We purchased things bits at a time and in phases to help ease the pain a bit. And when I look at the cost of some of the higher scale designs for similar pieces which run anywhere from $800-$2800, I am happy to have a custom piece that we did ourselves for a fraction of that price.

And, the price includes a lot of special features or "add ons" such as puck lights, fabric, doors, drawers and knobs, all of which the desk could still be functional without and give you some extra savings.

I am still debating on calling this project "complete". I think the drawer and doors are asking for some decorative molding. Or paint. But until that day comes, we are in love with what we have done so far! So so very in love.

Now that my "work" space is wrapped up, time to start brainstorming up a place to craft and create....

Pssst... I already swapped out the fabric for a new look. You can check it out here.

Oh my goodness, I'm DYING over that! I'll definitely be bookmarking it so save so if we ever have room for a desk (or as my littles get to the age they need desks) I can refer back to this. It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

Oh my goodness I am such a nerd. I actually have one of those, and I use it for "portrait" indoor photography, but never really thought to do it when taking photos of entire spaces. I will have to give it a try and see if it eliminates all of the shadows. Thanks for the link!

This is amazing! I just love it! I am always so in awe of all the little details that you seem to remember. You always add that extra special touch. Such an inspiration. I do have one question...How does the wrapping paper not rip as drawer liners? I have heard of people using wrapping paper before for drawer liners and am considering doing it. I just love the idea. Maybe I'm really rough on my stuff? But I picture it ripping rather easily.

The wrapping paper that I used is pretty high quality/durable, but I would only use it in an office space where the wear and tear should be minimal. I wouldn't probably use it in a higher traffic drawer such as a kitchen drawer or bathroom drawer, for the same fear. Not to mention there is more heat and moisture in a kitchen/bath, so I recommend actual drawer liner or something more durable like leftover wallpaper, etc...

I LOVE IT!!! It turned out great. I am definitely going to bookmark this page, because when I have the space to add my own desk I really want it to look like yours. I love how everything turned out the tones of green look great (its my favorite color) I just LOVE IT!!! you are definitely my inspiration to get my house organized

LOVE this. We are moving in 2 weeks and not taking our old crappy desk - this is definitely an inspirational piece! One quick question - what is the font you use on your labels? I love it, and being a scrapbooker I am always on the lookout for great fonts.

STOP BEING SO AWESOME!!! Every part of this is so gorgeous, and I am stealing your list of desk needs. I feel like that is part of my problem with organization - I am never quite sure what I need and what is totally unnecessary. I have plans to one day design my geek cave, but the thought of going through all that and it still not meeting my needs freaks me right out and makes me want to go hide in a geek cave. Thus is my dilemma.

What a fantastic space this area has grown to be!! Inlove how you've customized it all to become what you need it to be, rather than just going with what was available at the stores. It's so very organized too!!! Love it!!! Thanks for sharing!!

Love the office space!! - this makes me want to run out to ikea and redo my office right now!Would love to know where you got all your green and blue organizers!! I am always searching for some like this but it is especially hard since I live in Canada and do no have the Container Store here (they ship to Canada but it is ridicuously expensive)... :)

Hi Jen,This is a great post. I think you are such a great inspiration. I love the dark blues, infact all the colours match beautifully. I would love to have a desk area like this. Great work keep it up your blog is wonderfulLove Jem

Hmmmm... my readers are great about pinning my projects, I run across them on Pinterest all the time and it melts my happy heart. Pinterest must have just been having a bad moment, hopefully no more trouble pinning for you!

Hi there! I know that you get a ton of comments and probably emails too, so I understand if you don't have a chance to get back to me. However, I am getting married in September, and we'll be finding an apartment in the summer. I'm really determined to make our apartment amazing a little at a time, since we will be living in it for at least two girls. Are there any books you think would be the best for decorating/organized/selecting colors or things like that?

looks amazing - you are quite an inspiration!! One question - how were the quality of the IKEA drawers? Is there anything you did to make them more sturdy? In the past I've just found their products to be a bit unstable. You are very very creative!!

Really lovely. I know you will enjoy it, although I'm concerned about your lack of natural light. I find when I'm working I'll unconsciously abandon the nicest space there could be for a spot in the light.

I am totally concerned right along with you. Good thing I only work in the space for a couple of hours at a time and take breaks to spend time with the kids and do housework or get out. There is not one single way of bringing natural light into this space without tearing out our entire front cement porch, lol.

We just moved into our first house -- the one we hope to make our own & not move out of if we don't want to :) & I had these concerns for myself being self employed working at home endless hours (good & bad!). So...we've come up with a solution. We decided to make the formal dining room an office with french doors. We're able to extend our informal dining room to fit large groups making the informal dining room free game! The perks: a window with natural light and the location is on the main level near the open concept dining room, so I don't feel secluded in a bedroom turned office but still have french doors to shut for privacy. I just had to share my excitement & gratefulness for your inspirational post! I think we may build something like this, behind our glass desk we just bought today, for storage. We are learning to be DIYers this yr. & I just found your blog & I love that you love organization just as much as me :) ~Sarah F.~

It looks terrific! And your "unsightly" areas are actually pretty "sightly." :) How crazy that the doors and drawers to go on the shelves cost MORE than the shelves themselves! I love how it's all pieced together, but looks like one big unit. Great job!

Love it!! Just wondering if you tried removing the top drawers/cabinets and leaving three open shelves on each side (instead of the two you currently have). Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the open storage would then line up with the desk top and help the entire unit feel less bottom heavy. I could be way off about that :), but I would be interested to see the difference.

Jen - It turned out beautifully! It is the perfect marriage of style and organization, with that excellent personal touch! I appreciate you walking through what is in each of the bins as that really helped me visualize different ways in which the space can be used. Also helpful to know that you didn't commit to drawer placement and a good reminder to myself to not immediately decide and to try out different options. I went back through the entire project and love it even more. Question for you, how did you do the Excel drawings? I am in the process of laying out the designs for the house we are moving into and are trying to maximize the space on a budget for our five kids. I would greatly appreciate the help! (BTW, have you seen the page views counter recently?!??! Oh my, look at you go! Go do another happy dance because that is amazing.

Hey, this is an awesome blog! I'm always looking for stuff like this, because organization is something I really struggle with. I am such a procrastinator when it comes to that sort of thing. I have been saying for months I'm going to organize my closet and bathroom, but it's still not done. Part of it is because I'm still trying to find ideas.

My office is a mess, my furniture is also from Ikea and I love it, but I really love yours even more. I don't normally like that color green, but it is so pretty and the whole thing is so well put together. I'm going to be coming back to this blog often for more ideas.

I found you through Pinterest and am a new follower and fan! You don't have to, but if you would like, please feel free to stop by and say hello.

btw I think the pictures are great, I wish my camera would take pics like that.

The chair is just gorgeous and I love the idea of installing wrapping wrapper in the bottom of the drawers. It opens up your options for drawer liners in an amazing way. Gorgeous job Jen - makes me want to spruce up my home office this weekend!

Hi! I've just begun following your blog and I absolutely love it! Your desk space looks beautiful - so fresh and colourful. It must be very inspiring! Thanks for sharing all your great ideas and inspiring myself to get more organized! :)

Jen, what a great addition! That looks like an expensive piece of furniture. Mind telling me how you all attached the door(desk top)?Very clever idea..Is that a laptop with monitor and keyless mouse? The keyboard looks different from any I've seen, that's why I asked, and from the photos, it looks like the monitor is not attached to the laptop if that is a indeed a laptop. Where are you hiding your tower or hard drive system? Forgive me for asking such stupid questions but I only have a desktop..where's your printer hiding? Great job of organizing. Thanks for sharing your pictures and ideas with us. I'm inspired and I love the fact it is white..I have all dark cherry furniture in our home and I'm getting sick of it and my husband would never think of painting a piece of good cherry furniture! The furniture police would come after us!

Hi Betty! That's the beauty of the Mac computer, it's all one single unit with one cord to plug in and that is it. The keyboard and mouse are wireless and the computer and the screen are one unit. It's fab.

My printer is also wireless and sitting across the room on our unfinished desk.

We attached the door by installing a ledge - those details here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2012/01/basement-progress-studio-desk-part-3.html

Love this! Aren't those Expedit shelves the greatest?! I'm thinking this idea could be adapted as an awesome kid bed. Replace the desktop with a simple upholstered headboard using a fun color/pattern? Just might be my next big project!

I don't know how I missed this post when you first put it up. I've been waiting to see how the desk ended up looking and as predicted it looks great and is something that I would love in my own home! (come on, Ikea!!! hurry up and finish being built!)

JEN!!!!!!!! You've outdone yourself! I am 100% in love with your desk! DIY/improvisation always seems to be the best way to go to get the personalized results! I am totally head over heals for the desktop fabric, as well as your drawer "paper," acrylic trays, and fabric tubs! Congratulations on a wonderful new space!

Forgive me if this has already been asked, but do you use an optical mouse? I've considered adding plexi or glass to my own desktop hubby built and would love to know if I could go without a mousepad if I did that. I'm not sure what it is about the finish we used but my mouse skips if I just use the desktop. I hope that makes sense!

Oh Jen, it's gorgeous, stunning, inspiring...I could go on and on! In fact your clever usage of the Expedit shelves has inspired me to do something similar for my homeschool teacher's space in our very cozy dining room. Thanks for sharing your genius with us! :)

Hi there - not sure if you've answered this previously, so apologies if you have - but did you paint the expedit shelves? Or just the desk and trim? It looks fab, I'm just about to start a built in project for my den and was going to use Billys but am now rethinking the expedit! Love the blog : )

Wow! I want this desk, what a great idea! I have been wanting to reorganize for a while now, and making this desk would seem to make it all the better! I just can't seem to open part 3 and I really want to know how you did the crown molding. Ps. Love tour blog :)

This is amazing. I have a few questions, what do you think the total cost was for this (I realize you had a few things to work with at home)? Also, do you think you could do this somewhat so it would come apart at a later date? I only ask because we will be moving in about 6 months from now, but I would like to have something like this for my own desk. I am sorry if someone else asked this prior, it just seems like a popular item and a lot of posts on it. :-)

In one of your desk pics, there seems to be L shaped plastic tabs inside the bookshelves at the top and bottom inside corners. Are they screwed through the wainscoting into the wall and into the sides of the bookcases? Not sure what they are and what their purposes were, but I'm assuming it was to affix the unit to the wall?

The brackets came with the two Expedit bookcases and are used to ensure the bookcases stay flush against the wall and remain affixed. You can see the details here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2012/01/basement-progress-studio-desk-part-3.html

I absolutely love your blog and it is the first one I encourage anyone to check out!

I am dreaming up a plan to do this with Billy bookcases, but I do have a question for you...

Did you drill your melamine board into the top of your expedits? Also, where do your cords for the lighting hide, especially curious about that on that bottom shelf (I'm guess the light attached to the top shelf is hidden up top behind the crown moulding?), and last question: if you put any holes in the expedits for wires, I am sure they are clean looking (because you are Jen and things tend to look good when you do them), so how to you make the holes so neat and clean looking?

We did drill into the tops of the Expedits. The lights are stick on puck lights, no cords required. When drilling our holes, we use a bit designed for creating holes within the wood. If you are worried about the wood splintering or shredding, covering it with painters tape typically does the trick.

Hey Jen, David again from a couple of comments above. Just wanted to thank you again for your great desk idea! Just wanted to share my nearly complete project (sans the plexi top, paper, and lighting) but I think it's coming along.

BTW this is my first real wood working project. Cut the moldings, door, plywood backing, topper board, desktop, etc. Lots of trial and error but I did it.

WOW! It looks incredible, almost identical to the one here! Virtual high fives to you! I hope that your hard work is enjoyed for many happy years to come! Thanks so much for taking time to share your project, it totally made my day!

Jen - I LOVE this!! Absolutely love it! :) I work from home full-time and I've been trying to find ways of sprucing up my office a bit. Sometimes working from home isn't the easiest thing to do but having a gorgeous space to work in goes a long way! I especially love the fabric and plexiglass on your main work surface! I'm going to have to see how I can implement something similar! Out of curiosity - does the plexiglass affect your mouse at all? I also love your hidden storage ideas! Great ideas - thanks Jen!

Thanks Jen! :) After looking at your photos again, I did notice the mouse pad....which I love! It's a great colour! I'm so glad I found your blog - not sure my boyfriend is though, lol ...what with all my new organizing ideas!! ;)

This DIY desk is amazing. I have been searching for a great Expedit combo for my new home office, and this is perfect! I am planning out how to recreate it and had one question - what size is the floating shelf that you purchased from Ikea? When I click the link you provided, it directs to the wall shelves category page, not the exact product.

This is a great idea. IKEA offer a desk with this shelf but it takes up a lot of floor space which in my 622 sq ft apartment is valuable. I am thinking of taking your idea and modifying it and adding the EXPEDIT entertainment center to one side and the shelving unit on the other.

We love this design and have copied it here at our home. Thank you sooo much for posting it! Just wondering what your photo sizes are above your computer as we'd like to put some up too. Many thanks!Jo

I have been looking for desktop storage solutions for all of our papers. Right now we just have trays which always look messy. I love the look of the slide drawers that you have in blue and green. Where would I find something like that?

We actually upgraded to two hard drives last year {my hubby is a tech guy, lol}. We have a wireless external on our home network, allowing me to back-up from any of our computers at any time wirelessly, and it is stored in our utility room with our other network equipment. I also have a plug in hard-drive that I also back-up to occasionally, as I am always nervous of losing photos and data. That is stored in a basket in my office. xo!

Love your desk. I know it has been ages since it was posted but I am in the process of updating our office and always come back to your blog for inspiration. I am having trouble finding storage boxes/magazine files to suit our color scheme and love your idea of adding tape to the boxes. What sort of tape did you use? I have tried this once before and the tape came off over time.Got to love Ikea, this is also what we used for our office and they have different items here in Australia than you have there. We got some fantastic textured doors for our office. Love them!!

Thank you for your sweetness! The magazine files in the photos above were taped off and painted and it worked great: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2012/01/iheart-painted-magazine-files.html

Some people have had really great luck using decorative masking tape {Scotch has a few options found at local office supply stores and even Target I believe}, or else Washi tape {hit or miss based on type and quality}.

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